Budget Session: Pranab invokes women security, bill waits

New Delhi, Feb 21: After two-months of brutal Delhi gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student in the national capital, President Pranab Mukherjee in his inaugural address of Budget session in the Parliament raised the issue of women security on Thursday, Feb 21.

"People are concerned about the security of women. The past year has been a difficult one," President Pranab Mukherjee said.

Moreover, government is planning to bring a fresh Bill to replace the ordinance on crime against women, within the first few days of the Budget session of Parliament.

"We are working on priority. The Bill will be introduced within first few days of the Budget session," a Home Ministry official said.

The proposed Bill will incorporate all relevant provisions of the ordinance promulgated on February 3 and suggestions of pending Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2012.

According to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2013, any person who inflicts an injury that causes death of a victim in a sexual assault or leaves her in a persistent vegetative state shall face punishment up to death.

The ordinance was issued in the wake of public protests over December 16 gang-rape of a girl in Delhi and demand for tougher anti-rape law.

It enhances punishment for sexual assault by husband upon his wife during separation and such crime will lead up to seven years of imprisonment.

"Whoever, commits an offence punishable under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) of section 376 (rape) and in the course of such commission inflicts an injury which causes the death of the person or causes the person to be in a persistent vegetative state, shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 20 years, but which may extend to imprisonment for life, which shall mean the remainder of that person's natural life, or with death," the ordinance says.